When Abramovich arrived at Chelsea I feared for my future at the Bridge... Terry lifts the lid on 10 years of Roman rule

John Terry has revealed how Roman Abramovich's arrival at Chelsea left him fearing for his place in the side - but admits the Russian's desire to win trophies has transformed the club.

The centre back was 22 when Abramovich arrived and, having risen through the youth ranks and broken into the first team in 2000, was understandably apprehensive when Chelsea started spending lots on high-profile players.

But he has shrugged all contenders aside and maintained his place in the starting line-up throughout Abramovich's tenure until interim manager Rafael Benitez's spell in charge last season.

Impact: John Terry (left) hailed Roman Abramovich (right) after a decade in charge. Here he is pictured with the billionaire after Chelsea's 2004-05 title win, and (below) after the 2012 Champions League victory

'I remember being at home and seeing it [Abramovich's takeover on July 1 2003] on the news,' Terry told Chelsea's official magazine.

'I didn't really know what to make of it at the time, but it is one of those days that I look back on now and realise the significance of.

'That first pre-season we were all texting each other about what players were going to come in and stuff like that; I think that was probably the first thing the fans thought of.

'However, from our point of view, it was a case of, "Who are they going to bring in and is your place in jeopardy?"

'Then we came back to training, with all the new signings there, and we realised how good they were. The standard in training went from being good to being very good on a daily basis.'

There is a well known motivational speech which best sums up the attitude taken by players like Terry, Frank Lampard and Eidur Gudjohnsen, who fought hard to retain their place in the side amid the chaos.

The late Randy Pausch said in The Last Lecture: 'The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.'

Terry believes that the supporters acknowledge the hard work that he and others had to put in to stay at the top.

Constants: Terry (centre) and Lampard (right) have been present throughout Abramovich's decade

'For me, having come through at this
club, I have definitely had a special relationship and rapport with the
fans, there is no doubt about it,' he said.

'It doesn't matter who comes in, I think they appreciate that I came through the ranks here and saw it all - cleaning boots and dressing rooms, tidying up after the senior players, painting Stamford Bridge and washing kit.'

Terry believes that Abramovich's approach has made the club more successful that it otherwise would have been, that the owner's drive for trophies has kept the club striving to be the best.

The club captain, now, 32, explained: 'He (Abramovich) wants to know how the club can improve and what he can do to improve it; he wants to keep pushing on.

'He doesn't want to win it one year and then maybe three years later, go for it again - he wants to win every trophy, every single year. That is his target every season.'

The next edition of the official Chelsea magazine is on sale from Monday July 8